Wine, which allows you to run Windows applications on Linux and UNIX systems, has been around for over twenty years. Latest Versions Wine handles this task so well that you can use it to run most popular applications and play almost all games that support DirectX 9. Wine for Android has recently appeared - a commercial version of CrossOver. And we, of course, could not pass by this event.
Wine is a recursive acronym for Wine Is Not an Emulator ("Wine is not an emulator"). And it's really true: Wine is an alternative implementation of the Win32 API written from scratch. CrossOver is a commercial version of Wine designed to run primarily Microsoft Office and games for Windows on UNIX-compatible systems and provides all the necessary optimizations and compatibility settings. In CrossOver, applications are often more stable and require less fiddling with settings. In other words, CrossOver is an improved Wine. And expensive: the developers are asking $50 for it.
In 2013, one of the Wine developers, Alexander Julliard, as part of the Free and open source Software Developers’ European Meeting showcased mobile software preview operating system Android, which makes it possible to run a variety of Windows applications. portable devices With Intel processor There were practically no x86 and Android on board at that time, so the project was interesting only as a proof of concept.
However, the story didn't end there. In October 2015, CodeWaves opened registration for testing CrossOver for Android, where I happily signed up. The release was planned for the end of 2015. But neither at the end of 2015 nor at the beginning of 2016 was there any news. The beta version appeared only on August 25, 2016 and is currently only available to testers. Moreover, immediately in the version for Android and for devices with Chrome OS (which have Play market).
So, in this article we will see what is CrossOver for Android.
Test computer specifications:
- CPU: Intel Core i5 4200H
- Video processor: Intel HD Graphic 4600
- RAM: 8 GB (1600 MHz)
- Drive: ADATA Premier Pro SP920 256 GB SSD (22 GB allocated for Android)
- CrossOver: 15.5.0 alpha4
Immediately after launch, we see a desktop with a blue background. At the bottom is the "Start" button, in the upper left corner the inscription CrossOver flaunts, and in the upper right - the main Install Application button. After clicking on it, a window with the choice of application will open. Moreover, there are only four programs in the list itself: Steam, MS Office 2007 and 2010, WinZip 14.0, which is disheartening. But it is enough to uncheck Only know-good applications, as we will see a list of more than a hundred programs and games.
Many of them can be installed via the Install button, but some still need to be downloaded separately. You can find quite interesting games in the list: Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider 2013, Star Wars: Battlefront, World of Tanks, Dota 2, Batman Arckham City... From the programs there are Adobe Photoshop CS3, Adobe Acrobat Reader XI, Autocad 2013, Total Commander. The links are those versions that must be earned.
All programs run in windows. But if desired, they can be minimized to the taskbar, as in Windows. There is also a tray, some programs can be minimized there and work in the background. Quantity at the same time running applications appears to be limited by the volume random access memory devices.
Integration with Android OS is just fine. For example, you can open a browser, run in it YouTube video, press the Home button, and playback will continue in the background. Shared clipboard. You can copy text in the Android app and paste it into text editor running in CrossOver.
If you go to "Start → Control Panel", then there we will find interesting items:
- Game controllers. Setting joysticks and switching between them.
- Internet settings. Setting home page for the browser (there is no browser itself in CrossOver, but there is an HTML engine that applications can use to display web pages), managing history, cache, and cookies. There is also certificate management and security settings for different types internet connections.
- Install/remove programs. The name speaks for itself.
The “Start → Run...” command does the same thing as pressing Win + R in Windows itself, that is, it opens the launch prompt. The regedit command will open the registry editor (yes, there is a full registry here), cmd will open command line(bat files work), explorer is a primitive file manager.
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In order to use the Android OS on Windows, you can install special programs- emulators. They are created so that people can test different mobile applications on a PC before installing them on a smartphone or tablet. Emulators are also needed by developers who create software for portable gadgets.
If you want to download an Android emulator for Windows 7, 8.1 or 10, be sure to check out this article. You can also search the Internet for information on how to run Android applications from a flash drive or using various virtual machines, such as Virtual Box or Hyper-V.
Important: In order for Android emulators to fully function on a computer, AMD-v or Intel VT-x virtualization must be enabled in EUFI or BIOS. Most often it is activated by default, but if with work special applications problems, be sure to check the settings.
Top 10 Best Android Emulators for PC Windows 7,8,10
Below, we provide top 10 Android emulator software (in Russian) for PC Windows 7,8,10.
BlueStacks
It is the most popular program used by millions of people to run Android games on Windiws environment. BlueStacks has good performance, a Russian-language interface and thoughtful settings that are easy to understand.
After installing the emulator, it will run in full screen mode, but it can also be enabled in the window. In the program, you will see a search for games and a list of applications available for download. To be able to install them, use a Google account. For these purposes, you can not use the old profile, but create a new one.
Do you have an Android tablet or smartphone? Then install the BlueStacks Cloud Connect app. Then you can synchronize applications between your computer and portable gadgets.
Various programs in BlueStacks work without problems, like games, but in the second case, the emulator can slow down a bit. But it is good because it works not only in Windows, but also in Mac OS X.
You can download the BlueStacks emulator program (in Russian) for free on the developer's website.
MEmu
Distinctive features of this emulator are the ability to free use and the presence of the Russian language in the interface settings and shell parameters. MEmu runs smoothly, loads quickly and pleases with good compatibility with games from the Play Market. It provides many useful options: binding keyboard keys to specific areas of the screen, organizing public access to folders on a PC, GPS substitution.
New applications in MEmu can be installed from Google Play (you need an account for this) and using APK files. In the second case, the user needs to press the corresponding button on the taskbar or double-click on the file, after which the program will appear on the display of the virtual device.
MEmu also provides the ability to transfer software from a computer to smartphones or tablets. To do this, you need to connect the gadget to the PC via a USB cable and press the corresponding key in the emulator.
You can download the MEmu emulator on the official website. The choice of the Russian language in the program occurs during its installation.
Remix OS Player
This emulator is based on Remix OS, a modification of Android x86 designed specifically to run on laptops and computers. It has a taskbar, a Start button. In general, this is a full-fledged Android system. It is bad because it is designed exclusively for computers with Intel processors.
Remix OS Player Google services, in particular the Play Market, are disabled for security purposes. You can activate them at any time. We remind you that experts do not recommend using the main account in emulators. Google entry- For these purposes, it is better to create a separate account.
Some applications in Remix OS Player run in small windows, but still they usually expand to full display. Unlike Bluestacks and other programs, Remix OS Player is designed to be used on a PC with a regular display, not a touchscreen. There is always a cursor in the program window, and when entering text, it does not appear on the screen virtual keyboard, which almost completely occupies it. To switch the cursor between windows in the emulator and Windows, you can use the key combination Ctrl + Alt.
You can download the Remix OS Player emulator (in Russian) on the official website page.
Nox App Player
According to many users, Nox App Player is the best Android emulator for Windows. He deserves special attention, because it has practically no flaws and perfectly copes with the tasks. This program is intended for Windows 7, 8.1 and 10.
A few seconds after the program starts, you will see the Android screen on the monitor.
Shell is used in Nox App Player Nova Launcher, there is a browser and file manager. In older versions of the emulator, the Russian language had to be enabled in the settings, but in the new one it is present from the very beginning.
The tablet resolution is enabled in the program settings - 1280 × 720. To change this setting, click on the gear icon in the upper right corner of the screen - this will take you to the settings. By default, Nox App Player is set to low performance, however, even with this option, the emulator running on weak computer, works without hangups.
The management of the program is completely identical to that used in Android devices. The video camera and sound work there, there are no problems with the functioning of the usual and on-screen keyboard. Nox App Player also has PlayMarket, from where you can download various software and test it on Windows.
For greater convenience of users, the developers have placed icons of the following actions on the right side of the emulator window:
- installing applications from APK files;
- taking screenshots;
- location spoofing for GPS;
- export and download files;
- running multiple emulator windows at the same time.
Do you run different Android apps on your computer, use Instagram and want the emulator to work flawlessly? Then use Nox App Player. Most programs function in it without freezing. Some "brakes" can only be observed when launching heavy 3D games.
You can download the Nox App Player emulator (in Russian) on the developer's website page.
On the Internet, you can find complaints that after installing Nox App Player does not start. To solve this problem, change the username and the name of his folder, using the Latin alphabet instead of the Cyrillic alphabet.
Leapdroid
Back in 2016, many users turned their attention to the Leapdroid emulator. Then it just appeared on the market, but over time it has seriously competed with software with similar functionality.
The main advantages of Leapdroid:
- the presence of the Russian language;
- high performance;
- support for many applications and games for Android;
- the ability to work without activating hardware virtualization.
When using Leapdroid, pay attention to the settings of mouse buttons and control keys in games. For some gaming applications, these options are loaded automatically, while for others, the user must manually assign individual keys and set the desired screen areas.
The developers of the Leapdroid emulator recently announced the end of support for it. The program can be on the page. When downloading the emulator from third-party resources, do not forget to check the files for viruses.
Koplayer
Koplayer- free emulator, which allows you to run applications and games for Android on laptops and desktop computers. It works fast even on weak machines and has a large number of settings. In Koplayer, you can even choose how much RAM is allocated for use by the emulator. Its important advantage is the convenient setting of the keyboard for games. For each key, the user can assign accelerometer actions, gestures and clicks to different areas of the display.
Other interesting features of Koplayer include the presence of buttons for creating screenshots and capturing video from the screen, changing the display orientation (vertical and horizontal). In the program, the developers provide for the possibility of transmitting data from different sensors, in particular, the same accelerometer. Thanks to its presence, users can comfortably play car racing and other games.
In the Koplayer emulator, the control settings in games are configured as follows. Launch an arcade or a race, then click on the item with its image in the upper left corner of the screen. As a result, you will be able to create virtual buttons by clicking anywhere on the display and then pressing the desired keys to “bind” them to a specific action.
Download Koplayer emulator can be on the official website.
Droid4X
A good emulator that demonstrates high speed and a well-thought-out interface, easy to learn. Droid4X is fast enough. It has the Play Market, the ability to connect Windows folders and installation of APK files, as well as location spoofing. Even in this emulator, you can bind the coordinates of points on the display of the emulated "Android" to the keys computer keyboard. This option is especially useful for customizing controls in games.
By testing Droid4X, you can run, for example, the popular game Asphalt. You will see that it will work with almost no freezes even on a relatively weak computer with 4 gigabytes of RAM and Core processor i3.
The program emulates a fairly powerful device with 16 GB of internal and 32 GB of external memory. Considering that the largest applications from the Play Market take up about 2 GB, you can install about 20 games in the emulator, even demanding ones.
Droid4X boasts flexible customization. It provides the ability to change the orientation and resolution of the screen, set the desired volume level. Using the emulator, you can take screenshots, record videos, and sync all data with your Android device. Droid4X attracted people due to its easy installation and configuration, moderate consumption of PC system resources. With it, you can operate a virtual device as if you were actually working with a real tablet or smartphone.
You can download the emulator program on the page of the official website a.
Windroy
The Windroy emulator was released by Chinese programmers and has a number of fundamental differences from similar software. It does not provide for emulation, but for porting Dalvik and Android to Windows. It uses Windows kernel and real PC hardware resources. Windroy works fast, but, since it appeared recently and is still far from perfect, it often freezes and gives various errors. For example, it does not start for all users and does not always switch from full screen to windowed mode.
On this moment Windroy is not downloaded from the official site (for some reason it does not work). You can find this emulator on third-party resources.
AMIDuOS
High-quality program, which is very popular. It was released by American Megatrends. AMIDuOS is a paid emulator, but you can test it for free for 1 month. If for some reason other similar programs did not suit you, you can install AMIDuOS. It will please you with high performance and a large set of functions.
The downside of AMIDuOS is that the original emulator installation package does not include Google Play services. Accordingly, the user has to download and install them on their own.
Another disadvantage of the program is that there is no button in its interface for installing APK files. When installing packages, you have to use the Apply to AMIDuOS item from context menu Windows Explorer.
You can download the YouWave emulator on the official website. The program has two versions - free and paid. If you are interested in new editions of the OS, use the paid YouWave Premium emulator.
Well then. We have come to the most important part of the review, but can we choose an emulator that we will call the best emulator without a twinge of conscience? Let's think.
- Firstly, it is worth noting that most of the presented software is solutions from Chinese developers who quickly “cool off” to the project and stop supporting it. That's why android version higher than 4.4 is not supported by all, and the same software testing should be carried out on several versions of the OS.
- Secondly, it is impossible to name the best of the best for one simple reason - different software is designed for different categories of users. Let's try to correctly distribute it.
BlueStacks, Andy, Nox, MEmu- popular emulators, free, approximately equal in capabilities, functions, with a similar implementation. All of them are designed for ordinary users., who need to install, run, click a button and get the result. Here you do not have to set anything up for a long time - virtual reality will load immediately, and the user interface will please you with intuitiveness.
Looks good against the background of brothers Nox App Player. The application player installs quickly, works stably, supports all modern games. Provides the most convenient control and is not demanding on PC resources. It's nice that computer program is equally convenient for both gamers and ordinary users, and also does not bother with ads, unlike some popular alternatives. Another plus is to install " computer games"from the company store is not needed Account Google!
And a few more words about BlueStacks. The developers offer a fairly high-quality product with a package of irreplaceable services. For example, video streaming on Twitch.tv, as well as access to adapted versions of games with redesigned PC controls. Among other things, in BlueStacks games shows itself very well. The emulation is quite high quality, and the brakes are minimal, since the creators of the program removed unnecessary processes in the OS, reducing the load on RAM and CPU computer.
Windroy is our winner in the "simple emulator" category. His undemanding to iron deserves special honor and praise. But if Windroy allows a maximum of "pass through the birds", then Droid4X you will pass the demanding games that once migrated to Android from the PC without discomfort. With this emulator, the job will become, you will want to conquer all the tracks in Asphalt, destroy all the enemies in Gangstar, and, of course, nostalgic for Infinity Blade, but on a personal computer. Root access for applying cheats attached.
For professional testing in our list, as many as three emulator options are suitable: BlueStacks Genymotion And LeapDroid. The first applicant got here for the quality of execution. The second for the variety of images - almost any is emulated cellular telephone top segment, and the third for the number of settings.
notice, that Genymotion And LeapDroid do not contain an engine virtual machine, but simply create images for virtual box. But Genymotion clearly does it better. The program database contains profiles of several dozen smartphones and tablets on different operating systems, up to Nexus on Android 7 Nougat. Moreover, the set is constantly updated - this is suitable for developers and testers.
As for LeapDroid- it's software for geeks and advanced users. If you want to spend a lot of time, but by trial and error to set up the emulator for perfect work, we recommend that you download it for free. Support for opengl (hardware virtualization technology) will undoubtedly be a plus when choosing among analogues. However, the development environment is not disabled. The product is more household than specialized. IN best emulators Android it's too early to write it down.
P.S. advanced users will probably ask, but where is the youwave emulator, which is so praised on other sites? The answer is that we have not tested products based on ICS and older versions of the operating system. We will say the same if you came to download the Android emulator on Amiduos Computer or Koplayer - the applications are clearly outdated and have not been updated for a long time.
Despite the abundance of applications for Android devices, some users may be interested in running familiar windows programs on their device. One of the most obvious ways to do this is to install an emulator for the desired operating system.
A QEMU
At the moment, there are three most stable WinOS emulators for Android. QEMU is the fastest yet crash-prone choice. Among other things, it will allow you to run a shell similar to Windows 95 or 98, that is, no modern frills. To start, we need the SDLapp.apk files (install), SDL.zip (unpack to sdcard), as well as the OS image in * .img format (for example, Windows 95 or Windows 98). We put the latter in the “SDL” folder of the sdcard directory. We directly launch Windows through SDLapp.apk. Among other things, it is worth mentioning that the Win95 image works better and is more adapted to interact with touch screens, however, in QEMU emulation there is no sound, network support, work on the further development of the project has been stopped.
Windows Apps on Android - Emulator BOCHS
Slow, clumsy, but reliable and stable emulator that supports running Windows XP (in theory, you can run any i386 OS). It is installed by analogy with the first point: download-run Bochs2_5_1.apk, unpack SDL_for_BOCHS.zip into the SDL folder on the sdcard, put the image of the operating system into it (they will not work from QEMU). We launch through installed first application. This emulator supports access directly to the storage of your android device, making it easy to run games and programs for Windows. However, BOCHS is still not connected to the network. In addition, on weak devices, the emulator can take several tens of minutes to load.
Windows Apps on Android - Emulator aDOSBox and others
Except Windows images, this emulator will help you run old games designed for DOS. To install on Android, we take aDosBox-v0.2.5.apk , install, unpack
At the moment, unfortunately, most Windows emulators provide much less features than the original systems. They run old games perfectly, but apart from that their functionality is very limited.
Due to limited capacity Android platforms it may be necessary to run a full version of Windows as a standalone application. This is a completely feasible task due to the active development of modern Android devices, many of which are not inferior to personal computers in terms of power. In the course of today's article, we will talk about several emulators of this kind, whose functionality directly depends on the software requirements and smartphone characteristics.
There are a large number of emulators that allow you not only to deploy a full-fledged version of Windows on Android, but to perform a specific task. For example, some of the software under consideration is designed exclusively for running games, while alternative options transfer most of the functions of Windows, allowing you to use only small programs. When choosing an application, these nuances should be taken into account, since even on powerful phone or tablet resources are limited.
Bochs
Of all Windows emulators for android application Bochs is the best option, which allows you to deploy a full version of the operating system. Its advantages include low requirements for smartphone characteristics, the ability to run a large number of programs, limited only by the version of the selected OS.
The only drawback, which will not always be noticeable, is the control - from time to time the mouse cursor does not respond to gestures or moves too slowly.
In general, if you need to run a fully functional Windows version up to XP, there is nothing better than Bochs. In addition, not every emulator has GUI and allows you to control the choice of components, on which, as a result, the capabilities and requirements of the application will depend.
QEMU
The QEMU software is a fairly well-known option, as it is designed to emulate not only Windows on Android, but other OSes on many alternative platforms. Depending on the need, you can deploy almost any Windows with the only requirement in the form of an image in IMG or ISO format.
In terms of operation, the application does not differ much from Bochs, providing the same user-friendly interface to control emulation. In this case, not only Windows is supported, but also other operating systems, for example, Linux. Among the shortcomings can be attributed perhaps the lack of software in Google Play Store and difficulties in the learning process.
Limbo
Limbo PC Emulator can run the vast majority of 32-bit operating systems, including Windows. The existing restrictions are technical specifications Android device and OS requirements. In particular, the application can only run on an ARM processor.
This emulator should not have high hopes, because although it is based on QEMU, its capabilities are very limited. It is relevant to use Limbo only when, for some reason, any other considered analog does not start.
dos box
This version of the emulator, as the name implies, is not intended for deploying Windows, but for running DOS applications on the phone. This software does an excellent job of processing files, has virtually no performance problems even on relatively weak smartphones, and is relatively lightweight.
The main reason why DosBox should be taken into account when choosing such programs is the ability to Windows startup up to version 95. Of course, to do this, you will need some skills, but as a result you can get control over a full-fledged Windows. This option can not be called the best, but you should not forget about it. Especially when deploying an old OS without installing the bulkier Bochs and QEMU.
ExaGear
Of all the options presented, it is ExaGear that stands out the most, since this application is not a classic Windows emulator. At the same time, its main purpose is to run applications created for the computer. Thus, software independently emulates the work of the required components, allowing you to run many games and some programs.
This application has several variations designed to run Windows applications of a certain variety. These include:
- ExaGear-Strategies;
- ExaGear - RPG;
- ExaGear - Windows Emulator.
In terms of advantages and disadvantages, in all cases, the application works much more stable than the previously considered counterparts, but only if the Android device has impressive power. Otherwise, ExaGear will install and run without problems, but it will not be able to emulate any games and programs, ending with an error.
The advantage of the application that deserves special mention is also the integration of some supported games and hosted in separate section. This will allow not only to emulate Windows applications, but also to download all the necessary files without any problems.
Conclusion
In almost all cases, the emulator requires operating system files to run. Windows systems in a specific format. You can find suitable distributions at . By using high-quality images and paying attention when working with applications, it will be possible to easily emulate many Windows versions despite the shortcomings.
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